Media center applications, like XMBC and Boxee, often require certain naming conventions to properly pull cover art and metadata for TV episodes. Here’s how you can organize your TV shows by quickly with TVRenamer.

Example: If your file has a name like Entourage_S1_E1[DVDRip]-NTSC.xvid.avi, your media center may play it, but likely won’t recognize what it is. TVRenamer can batch convert your collection to a cleaner format, like Entourage.S01.E01.avi, that your media center will recognize.

TVRenamer

Download and install TVRenamer. You can find the download link below. It’s a basic install and you can just take the defaults.

The first step is to select your preferred naming style or convention. Select the Options tab and choose a naming style from the dropdown list.

You can also build your own naming convention by selecting the Build Style button.

Select from the available tag options to create your own naming style and click OK. You’ll see a list of available tags and their explanations to the left.

You will also want to select your preferred separator character.

If you’d like to preserve file tags such as DVDRip, DivX, XviD, HDTV, etc., you can do so by selecting the Enable preserving file tags option. Then select the Add Tag button and add the tag(s) you’d like to preserve in the title.

On the Rename tab, click the Browse button and choose a folder which contains files you’d like to rename.

You will see the episode title added to the end of the file name under File Name After Renaming.

When you are ready to rename your files, select the Rename button.

Confirm you want to rename and select Yes.

The process should only take a couple seconds. When it is complete, you’ll see Renaming finished in the bottom left corner of the application window.

Occasionally you may come across a file that TVRenamer can’t recognize. These files will appear dimmed under Original File Name. In these cases it’s best to rename them manually because TVRenamer will be unable to properly rename the file itself.

Once your files have been properly named to fit your HTPC, you can enjoy the full features of your metadata and cover art.

TVRenamer is very simple but powerful tool for organizing and renaming your digital collection of TV shows. Do you have a renaming program you like better? Let us know in the comments!